27th Dec 2000, 17:32

Agree with most of the comments.

The central locking on my Omega locked me out unless I used the key to open the door rather than the remote. I resorted to spraying loads of WD40 over the door knob and all linkages - now works a treat.

I have problems with the reflections you mention - also the door felt is always wet underneath - suspect my windscreen has been badly replaced?

1995 Vauxhall Omega GLS Automatic 2.0i 16v petrol from UK and Ireland

Faults:

Doors :- Passenger door handle failed and could only be opened from the inside.

Rear doors need a good jerk to open. Central locking remote works when it feels like it. Locks jam up very easily in cold weather.

Car key jammed and stuck in the drivers door and would not come out when I had to lock the doors manualy due to the remote on the key failing.

Engine :- Engine kept stalling when you were not moving. (Sitting at traffic lights for example). Bad oil leak from the sump.

Fuel mix sensor on exhaust manifold burnt out at 58,000 miles.

Handbrake refuses to work unless you pull the handbrake on to the back seats. (Cable keeps loosening).

Interior :- Windows steam up very easily. Park, Reverse, Drive indicators etc on the automatic gear lever console flicker on and off at their leisure.

Engine management light keeps coming on for no reason during driving.

Windscreen washer pump fails to work on some occasions.

Back registration plate light bulb replaced 6 times to date.

Electrical problems with brake lights.

Hazard warning lights switch pops out itself when it feels the need and has done so once during the night and flattened the battery. This also led to another problem. When the battery is flat the central locking doesn't work nor can you open the doors manually with the key IF you have deadlocked the doors. How do you get into the car to open the bonnet !!

General Comments:

Very nice car to drive. Comfortable seats and driving position. Big bulky airbag steering wheel. Handles well on dry roads but back end slides easily on wet and damp surfaces. Slowish 0-60 because the automatic box takes its time changing through the gears. Sluggish acceleration times at low rev's. OK on overtaking as long as you keep the rev's high as torque is not too good at low rev's. I find that you get the best performance, power-wise when you are between 4000 and 6000 rev's. Anything lower then don't think about overtaking unless you can see about 10 miles in front of you.

It enjoys motorway driving as opposed to town driving when it comes to fuel economy (Drinks like a fish about town).

The engine sounds like an old tractor on start-up, quietens down after 5 minutes. Rear wheel drive takes a bit of getting used to when cornering at high speeds but I have fitted 205/55 tyres as opposed to the 195/50's fitted as standard. Big improvement on handling as a result.

Bodywork is starting to show patches of rust, especially round the wheel arches and the edges of the doors.

Overall :- A good car to drive. Has a good top end speed, (130 MPH'ish but find a long long straight stretch of road), which is good for a car of its size and cost. Feels safe to drive at high speeds and has excellent brakes under high speed. Handles well in dry conditions.

Best to buy from a Vauxhall dealer, not from a road-side garage as all of the above problems have been dealt with by my local Vauxhall dealer as the garage I bought the car from could not solve the problems.

3rd Feb 2001, 16:40

Ref the noisy engine, you might find that it is the hydraulic lifters. With the 16v engine it costs anywhere from £300-£400 to replace the lifters including labour. This is the info I've received, however I do, you will think that it is excessive. Therefore best to change the oil with a high spec fully synthetic oil and add Slick 50. This should reduce the engine noise.